Twin Mirrors Of Fate
by delcatty546
Summary: Rescue a sleeping princess from a demonic captor from the highest mountain? So what if the most famous diviner ever spouted the prophecy? Surely they didn't expect fresh graduates from the House of Mages and Warrior Guild to take on such a dangerous quest, right? Wrong. Why didn't anything ever work out for the Kagamines? Based on Kagamine Twins' PV of Boss Death.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys! So I decided to start a multi-chapter fic! Yay me! I came up with this one during my exams! Hopefully I'll pass that paper… Anyways, it's loosely based on the song Boss Death by Hatsune Miku but more on the PV done for Rin and Len with Valshe's awesome voice.**

**Disclaimer: Never owned Vocaloid, never will. As previously mentioned, I suck at writing songs so it's very, VERY obvious that I did not compose Boss Death.**

_**Prologue**_

"_Your Majesty! Sector Two is on fire!"_

"_Your Highness! Sector Five is affected as well!"_

"_Sir! Sectors Seven and Twelve have come under attack by an unknown enemy!"_

_Queen Ann was scared out of her wits, but she would not show it. The people looked to the King and Queen as leaders. They could not show fear. As she gazed worriedly at her husband's seemingly calm face, she felt her heart leap up into her throat._

"_Who is this cowardly enemy who would not show his face or announce his name?" bellowed the king. "Why has he not officially declared a war? This breaches the code of conduct!"_

_His wife knew the answer in her heart. This was no ordinary enemy. The magic in her blood was calling to her, tugging her urgently in another direction. It was responding to an even greater, more threatening level of magic in the castle._

_Ann squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the source of the power. In her mind, the castle mapped itself out. The stairs, windows and doors outlined themselves in white. A small white light bobbed in front of her for a few seconds before flying off. She followed it out of her mental throne room, down the extensive corridor and up several flights of stairs. The light bobbed in front of the entrance to the North Tower before it flickered and dissipated._

_The North Tower! That was where her daughter's room was! Her eyes flew open._

"_My lord! Please excuse me!" she cried, bolting from her throne. King Al reached his arm out to restrain her but Ann was gone, running down the corridors. Despite the long gown, Ann was sprinting up the stairs, three steps at a time. _

_Just outside the door, black tendrils whipped around viciously, in response to the malicious presence behind the door. Ann hesitated. Was she really going to face whatever was in there… alone? However, her maternal instincts screamed in alarm. Her daughter was in there. She knew it._

_Her hand reached for the door knob, only to recoil from a sharp jolt of electricity. The abnormally powerful magic sent chills down her spine. The barrier spell in place was of a higher level than what she could handle. _

"_Looks like I'll have to use brute force then," she thought to herself. _

_Taking several steps back, Ann hurled blast after blast of white hot energy, trying desperately to get to her daughter. With the amount of magic she was using, Ann should have collapsed after the fifth blast. However, sheer willpower kept her going. At last, on the twenty-third try, the door swung open._

_Ann fell to the ground completely exhausted. Too tired to do anything else, all she could do was watch on in helplessness._

_Sixteen year-old Princess Miku was trapped within transparent walls. Her daughter hurled herself ferociously against her prison to no avail. She pounded furiously against the glass, her mouth open in soundless screams. Ann stretched a hand out, as though somehow, she could help Miku escape by doing so. The hand trembled as she tried to gather enough magic to cast a spell, any spell that could help her daughter. Instead, exhaustion claimed it. The dainty hand fell limply to the ground and frustration flooded through her veins._

_Miku, completely unaware of her mother's presence, gave the glass wall one final punch before she slumped against the wall. In defeat, the teal-haired heir sank to the ground, head in her hands, oblivious to her mother's pleas for her to get up and keep fighting._

"_N-No Miku! Don't give up!" she croaked._

_The fallen queen would have screamed louder for her daughter if not for the tiny movement in the corner of the room. A tall, dark silhouette stepped out of the shadows and caressed the invisible prison. Two horns protruded from its head of blue hair. Turning to smile roguishly at Ann, he winked and snapped his fingers. _

_He was gone, just like that. None of the smoke and mirrors. He simply disappeared from her sight. The culprit behind her daughter's imprisonment had just escaped like that._

_Ann let loose a howl that shook the walls of the castle, sending Al running for her. He took a glance at the room and understood. He sank beside his wife and held her. The royal couple sobbed as the castle guards stood awkwardly beside them. Forget about appearances and staying strong for the people. _

_The room was empty._


	2. Retrieval Of The Innocents

**Hi guys! So I decided to start a multi-chapter fic! Yay me! I came up with this one during my exams! Hopefully I'll pass that paper… Anyways, it's loosely based on the song Boss Death by Hatsune Miku but more on the PV done for Rin and Len with Valshe's awesome voice.**

**Disclaimer: Never owned Vocaloid, never will. As previously mentioned, I suck at writing songs so it's very, VERY obvious that I did not compose Boss Death.**

_**Prologue**_

"_Your Majesty! Sector Two is on fire!"_

"_Your Highness! Sector Five is affected as well!"_

"_Sir! Sectors Seven and Twelve have come under attack by an unknown enemy!"_

_Queen Ann was scared out of her wits, but she would not show it. The people looked to the King and Queen as leaders. They could not show fear. As she gazed worriedly at her husband's seemingly calm face, she felt her heart leap up into her throat._

"_Who is this cowardly enemy who would not show his face or announce his name?" bellowed the king. "Why has he not officially declared a war? This breaches the code of conduct!"_

_His wife knew the answer in her heart. This was no ordinary enemy. The magic in her blood was calling to her, tugging her urgently in another direction. It was responding to an even greater, more threatening level of magic in the castle._

_Ann squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the source of the power. In her mind, the castle mapped itself out. The stairs, windows and doors outlined themselves in white. A small white light bobbed in front of her for a few seconds before flying off. She followed it out of her mental throne room, down the extensive corridor and up several flights of stairs. The light bobbed in front of the entrance to the North Tower before it flickered and dissipated._

_The North Tower! That was where her daughter's room was! Her eyes flew open._

"_My lord! Please excuse me!" she cried, bolting from her throne. King Al reached his arm out to restrain her but Ann was gone, running down the corridors. Despite the long gown, Ann was sprinting up the stairs, three steps at a time. _

_Just outside the door, black tendrils whipped around viciously, in response to the malicious presence behind the door. Ann hesitated. Was she really going to face whatever was in there… alone? However, her maternal instincts screamed in alarm. Her daughter was in there. She knew it._

_Her hand reached for the door knob, only to recoil from a sharp jolt of electricity. The abnormally powerful magic sent chills down her spine. The barrier spell in place was of a higher level than what she could handle. _

"_Looks like I'll have to use brute force then," she thought to herself. _

_Taking several steps back, Ann hurled blast after blast of white hot energy, trying desperately to get to her daughter. With the amount of magic she was using, Ann should have collapsed after the fifth blast. However, sheer willpower kept her going. At last, on the twenty-third try, the door swung open._

_Ann fell to the ground completely exhausted. Too tired to do anything else, all she could do was watch on in helplessness._

_Sixteen year-old Princess Miku was trapped within transparent walls. Her daughter hurled herself ferociously against her prison to no avail. She pounded furiously against the glass, her mouth open in soundless screams. Ann stretched a hand out, as though somehow, she could help Miku escape by doing so. The hand trembled as she tried to gather enough magic to cast a spell, any spell that could help her daughter. Instead, exhaustion claimed it. The dainty hand fell limply to the ground and frustration flooded through her veins._

_Miku, completely unaware of her mother's presence, gave the glass wall one final punch before she slumped against the wall. In defeat, the teal-haired heir sank to the ground, head in her hands, oblivious to her mother's pleas for her to get up and keep fighting._

"_N-No Miku! Don't give up!" she croaked._

_The fallen queen would have screamed louder for her daughter if not for the tiny movement in the corner of the room. A tall, dark silhouette stepped out of the shadows and caressed the invisible prison. Two horns protruded from its head of blue hair. Turning to smile roguishly at Ann, he winked and snapped his fingers. _

_He was gone, just like that. None of the smoke and mirrors. He simply disappeared from her sight. The culprit behind her daughter's imprisonment had just escaped like that._

_Ann let loose a howl that shook the walls of the castle, sending Al running for her. He took a glance at the room and understood. He sank beside his wife and held her. The royal couple sobbed as the castle guards stood awkwardly beside them. Forget about appearances and staying strong for the people. _

_The room was empty._


	3. Growth

**Chapter 3, here we go! Heehee, many thanks again to RadiantCherryBlossom who is officially the first reviewer, favouriter and follower! I hope the story gets better and better for all you lovely readers out there!**

_**Growth**_

Luka awoke in a strange, yet somewhat familiar room. Her eyes took in the dim lighting and the cream walls. The smell of jasmine wafted around the room. Breathing in the scent was all Luka needed to do to feel safe.

_Haku…_ _She must have brought me here but what happened?_

"Ah, you're awake Luka." Haku shuffled forth and set a tray with various flasks down. "I was just about to prepare something for you."

"Really now Haku, I feel fine. There's no need to mother me and-" Luka cringed. Haku may have been one of the sweetest people she knew but that just made her glares all the more scary. She watched in silence as Haku busied herself with mixing seemingly random coloured liquids.

The end result was a murky, mud-coloured, viscous potion.

"Uhm, is that really, _really_ necessary Haku?" whimpered Luka. The smell was so overpowering. All Luka wanted to do was keep that bowl twenty feet away.

"Really now. You act like such a child for a mage of your status," huffed Haku. Her palm glowed pink and she waved it over the bowl. Instantly, the potion cleared up and turned a pretty green colour. With another wave of a hand, the smell changed into a pleasant minty one. It was only then that Luka accepted the bowl.

"So… Tell me what happened," murmured Luka between sips.

"Oh, the usual for mages who take on the path of divination. Spooky green eyes, glowing orifices and spouting out rhymes," replied Haku matter-of-factly.

"A prophecy?" Luka frowned. Prophecies usually meant really bad things were going to happen. Haku passed a piece of parchment where the prophecy had been scribbled hastily with a quill. Blue eyes scanned through it quickly.

"Twin mirrors… That explains it!"

"Explains what? Luka, in case you forgot, I may be the Head Mage but I _cannot _read minds."

"During the assault on Glacidea*, my instincts told me to seek out two children." She paused to see if Haku was following. The white-haired woman nodded her head. "Their last name is Kagamine Haku. You know what Kagamine means right?"

A crease formed between Haku's eyebrows. "Mirrored sound?" she guessed. Luka nodded feverishly.

"The prophecy… It references twin mirrors. The children are twins and somehow, their voices have to be united! Don't you see? Their last name is related to sound as well!"

"Isn't that a bit of a stretch? I mean… It could mean many other things. There could be others ways to interpret it. I mean, they're just children!" cried Haku throwing her hands in the air.

"You felt it didn't you Haku?" whispered Luka, eyes downcast. "The amount of power they exuded. It's them."

"Y-Yes but they're still too young and-"

"Prophecies take their time Haku. They don't swing into effect immediately. But you can't stop them because these things have a way of playing out on their own."

"That's true…" Haku said as she sipped some tea she had conjured. "Mhmmm, jasmine tea is excellent."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Neru's hand clamped down hard on Len's tiny shoulder. "Everyone! This is Len! He'll be joining us from today onwards!" she boomed.

A ten-year old boy with purple hair stepped forth and pointed at Len. "He's so small! How's he a warrior?" he whined.

Neru smiled roguishly. "Oh you'll see Gakupo. Why not spar with him? No weapons." Looking down at Len, she gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile. It was more of a grimace but Len was not paying any attention to her. Fire danced mischievously in his eyes as he clenched his fists. The right corner of Neru's lips pulled up.

"This should be interesting," she thought. The match had yet to begin and already, she was anticipating what would happen.

"Tch. Me? Against that puny kid? Hah! I better go easy on him!" shouted Gakupo arrogantly. He sashayed over to the mat in the centre of the room and flipped his long ponytail. Some of the other kids around cheered for Gakupo while others eyed Len curiously. Len in turned jogged over to the opposite side of the mat.

"Three! Two! One! Start!"

Gakupo charged at Len, fist raised and aimed for his stomach. Len stood still, waiting.

"Piece of cake! Kid's too scared to run!"

Len just waited patiently. Just as Gakupo was within a foot of him, he could have sworn he saw the new kid smirk. Len reached out and clamped tightly onto Gakupo's fist. Before Gakupo could even squeak in surprise, Len was already spinning Gakupo. After two rounds, Gakupo felt extremely dizzy but he was unable to break free of Len's tight grasp. Suddenly, Len released his fist. The next thing Gakupo knew, Len planted a foot squarely on his chest, sending him flying across the mat.

He landed with a thump.

The audience, both young and old could not help but cheer at this fresh new-comer. Up until then, Gakupo had been the best of the kids from age six to twelve, and a three year old had taken him down.

Neru clapped her hands softly. "Well done Len." Then turning to address the rest of the kids, she exclaimed, "Anyone else wanna take a shot at this kid? Or do we all agree he belongs here?" Silence greeted her.

"Thought so," she said with a smirk.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"Okay everyone! Today we'll be learning how to channel magic," announced Haku as she faced her class of beginners. "Remember your theory?" Several heads nodded while others offered sheepish grins. Haku sighed.

"Okay, let's refresh our minds! Channelling magic involves two parts, the moulding and the channelling. Magic is like painting. First, you must prepare the paint. You will create magic from within yourself and this is moulding." A stolen glance at the class prompted her to continue. "Second, you have to paint. Using your paint, create beautiful pictures. That is channelling magic."

"Eyes shut and empty your minds. Your minds are blank canvases now."

The order was laced with magic and whether they wanted to or not, the students all closed their eyes and felt the vivid colour in their minds bleach into nothingness.

"Feel it in your heart. Draw out the power in your heart. Imagine a trail of paint leading out of your heart and concentrating in your hands."

Rin sat still, picturing a streak of orange and one of yellow twining around each other. The streaks throbbed and snaked down her arm where they coiled around each other like snakes, waiting patiently for orders. Or at least that was what they did in her mind.

Haku walked up and down the aisles, observing each student. Her advanced level of magic allowed her to see the different bursts of colour each student produced. Mentally, she made a list of the different colours.

"Green, pink, red, yellow, purple, blue… Oh!"

She paused in front of Rin who was now eight.

"Two colours? Odd," she thought. "But this is a special child…" Her lips curved upwards.

"Very good kids! I see that all of you have the basics of moulding down! You're all so talented!" Smiles lit up brightly all around the room and their auras shown brighter.

"Now, step two is a lot harder. Imagine using the paint you have created to paint a picture. You have to be very concise here. Using your hand to make the movements helps too."

The kind-hearted teacher weaved between seats again as the children started making sweeping gestures in the air. For some, bright sparks of colour exploded from their hands but that was all. For others, the magic took form of a bright light and bounced up and down in their hands. One kid managed to turn his whole face red but Haku shrugged it off as exhaustion.

Suddenly, a translucent rabbit emerged from a child's palm. It danced around the class and her students' eyes flew open in awe and admiration. The caster's eyes were still sewn shut, oblivious to the commotion about her.

"Yep, she's a special one indeed," thought Haku, a gentle smile gracing her face.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"What are you? A sissy? Sword up! Duck! Arm guard comes up! Swing with your sword arm now!" Neru and Len continued parrying each other's swords.

"Geez, must you be so harsh Akita-sensei?" grunted Len as he tried his best to follow her orders.

"No point in empty praise! Arm guard again! Swipe!" Len twisted his sword out from under Neru's and whipped it outwards, resting the cool blade against Neru's neck.

"Gotcha sensei."

"Not bad," complimented Neru. She laughed and manoeuvred herself so that she was behind Len, her own topaz-encrusted blade now pressing against his neck. "For a ten year old that is."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"Rin, I agreed to tutor you separately for a good reason. You're one of my most promising students and I want to see that!" berated Haku.

Rin winced as she tried harder to focus on the task at hand.

"Elemental magic can be done easily for someone of your calibre if you just concentrate. You're obviously not trying hard enough!"

The twelve year old grimaced. It was not like she was not trying. Hell! Her face was all scrunched up and beads of sweat dotted her flushed face.

"I've seen five year olds put in more effort than you at the moment!" barked Haku.

"Why the hell are you being so fierce all of a sudden?" thought Rin to herself. "Who knew you were actually this scary alone?"

"What was that?" snapped Haku. "If you have the energy to mumble gibberish, you're surely not putting in your all!" Rin flinched as Haku brought a wooden cane down on hard, just inches away from her knuckles.

Frustration bubbled within Rin. She clenched her fists tight, her eyes screwed close, and exploded.

Literally.

"It's not like I'm not trying my utmost best already so stop nagging me!" she screamed as a column of fire erupted behind her.

"Well done Rin. Looks like we can cross fire off the list. Rage should be the trigger emotion for fire then." Haku flashed her a bright smile. "You do know I was taunting you on purpose right?"

Cold relief washed over Rin and the pair found themselves drenched.

"Right, so maybe we have to work on control."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

At fourteen, Len found himself standing in the line of fresh graduates of the Warrior Guild. He felt pretty proud of himself for making it so far at such a young age. He was nudged in the elbow by one of his best friends.

"Wonder if our mage partners will be pretty," whispered Gakupo. "I fancy myself being paired with that beauty over there." Len followed his finger over to the long queue of graduates from the House of Mages.

"The green-haired one?"

"Shush! Not so loud!" Gakupo half-whispered and half-yelled, face burning a bright scarlet. Len just chortled. Once one was considered a fully-fledged warrior, they were to attend the annual, combined graduation ceremony with the House of Mages. It was there that a diviner would pair a warrior with a mage so that they could begin questing around the world.

Len's eyes continued to scope out the different graduate mages. His eyes travelled down the line before resting on one particular mage. The smooth blond hair reached down to her shoulders and Len really would have admired her figure if it was any other girl. Somehow, his body told him "I'm not interested in this chick even if she is pretty hot and gorgeous."

She let out a tinkling laugh as she conversed with the green-haired mage Gakupo had had his eyes on. Len felt like a lightning bolt shot through his head.

_That laugh…_

He clutched his head and screwed his eyes shut in concentration.

"Hey man, you alright? No last minute jitters right?" asked Gakupo in concern. Len shook his head wildly.

"Nah, let's get this show on the road!"

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

One after the other, each mage stepped up to receive a custom staff. Weeks before the ceremony, each mage had been offered a variety of stones. Each resonated with magic.

When Rin's turn came, she allowed her hand to hover over each gemstone as she walked past the table. The emerald quivered and the amethyst hopped around the table a bit. The ruby stayed firmly in place as did the topaz and aquamarine.

Rin thought for sure that her stone would be either the emerald or amethyst but just as her hand moved past the sapphire, it leaped into her hand.

"Well Rin, looks like you're a sapphire person."

She snapped out of her flashback as she received the sapphire-based staff. It was a beauty, really. The gold staff felt cool to touch and large, enchanted, blue orb sat squarely on top. Gold hoops encircled it and right at the very top of the staff, was the sapphire.

She never thought of herself as a sapphire person but when she saw the gorgeous staff, Rin was sorely tempted to spend her first few salaries on more sapphire accessories.

From the other side of the stage, her eyes curiously watched a blonde receiving a huge sword.

"Ooh…" cooed her friend Gumi. "That one has really sexy arms," she commented as her eyes hungrily took in the ripped muscles exposed by the black tank top.

"How on earth would he carry that?" she whispered to Gumi.

Gumi snickered. "Maybe he'll drop it."

It was needless to say their jaws dropped when said blonde hoisted the ruby and emerald –encrusted sword over his shoulder easily with just one hand.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"Rin! Look who's the diviner this year!" whispered Gumi excitedly.

Rin flipped her head towards the stage where a woman in her mid-thirties was taking a seat. The long, pink hair was hard to mistake.

"Oh my gosh! That's Megurine Luka! One of the most famous diviners of all time! How did they get her here?"

Gumi shrugged. "All I know is the matches are gonna be perfect!" she squealed.

Silence befell the whole room as Luka raised a hand. Her hands emitted a pure, white light which split itself into two. One dived into a box labelled 'Mages' and the other, into the one labelled 'Warriors'.

"Kamui Gakupo," she called. The purple-haired man stepped forward, katana already strapped perfectly in place. "And… Megpoid Gumi."

Silently, Gakupo was cheering to himself. He'd gotten the cutie! Gumi on the other hand let out a wistful sigh. She had really wanted the hot blonde.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Finally, Rin was the last mage left among the group of fifteen. She shot a quick glance at the blonde on the other side. He too seemed to be the only one left. Guess they were paired.

"Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len," called Luka softly. Both blondes eyes widened in recognition. They stumbled up the stairs and gazed into each other's emerald eyes. Surprise filled the room as they heard the identical last names.

"W-What?"

"How?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Luka smiled. "You're twins."

**And that concludes chapter 3! Haha, I must say I really enjoy writing this! I can only hope you have as much enjoyment reading it! Read and review please!**

***- Glacidea is the country that got attacked in the prologue. Glacidea is ruled by Queen Ann and King Al. The House of Mages and Warrior Guild are both located on the outskirts of Glacidea in a neutral territory, meaning they aren't ruled by anyone.**


	4. Connection

**And we are back with Chapter 4! I see that there are a lot of readers out there :D Many thanks to RadiantCherryBlossom and Guest for reviewing and to Mugi-pyon for following!**

_**Connection**_

"Isn't it obvious? You're twins."

Time froze in the room. The twins raised their heads and met each other's eyes. The stormy silence brewed until neither could take it anymore. Pride kept them standing on the stage, feet apart, refusing to look or move away.

"I think it's time to return them what's theirs." Luka's soft voice reverberated around the silent hall, magnifying its volume tenfold. "Come." She beckoned them with a finger and in their stupor, they stumbled after her. Neru and Haku soon trailed after them, grim expressions distorting their lovely faces.

The five stood before Haku's study, a room no one but Haku had access to. With a flick of Haku's wrist, the heavy door swung open and the group stepped in.

"Sit," Luka commanded.

Rin and Len stiffened before settling themselves cautiously on the cushions on the rug. Haku was not one for prim and proper stuff but comfort. Rin found the plush cushions quite to her liking.

The silence was only disturbed by the sound of their breathing as Haku retrieved an ornate, silver box. She set it down gingerly on the small table before Rin and Len. Curiosity bubbled within them at once.

Haku laid a hand on the silver box which glowed a bright white in response. Neru followed suit, only her palm emitted a soft yellow light. Finally, Luka completed the set, a pink light emerging from her palm.

The three different coloured lights melded together before sinking into the metal. The box shuddered and the lid jerked open.

Rin and Len peered eagerly into the box, hoping to see what the mysterious answers to their past would be.

They did not expect to see a pair of earrings.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

_Eleven years ago…_

"Luka, what are we to do about them?" asked Haku. "Surely there's no need to separate them. They've just lost their only family!"

"Haku, we haven't got a choice. You and Neru must train them separately. You have to bring out the best in them until the time comes."

"They'll throw a fit when they wake up! You saw how stubborn they were in the clearing! That amount of power could ruin the schools!"

Luka banged her fist on the table. "It's for their own good! A little separation never killed anybody!"

Up until then, Neru's eyes had been shifting back and forth, from Haku to Luka, from Luka to Haku, as though she was watching a tennis match.

"Isn't it simple? Lock away their memories of each other. You guys can do that right?" she queried, much to the befuddlement of the two. "I mean, we can return them their memories when they're old enough to be paired. Sure they'll be pissed but they'll be much more focused on training without worrying about each other."

Haku and Luka blinked stupidly. Neru, undeniably one of the rashest, most impulsive and fiercest warriors of all time, had made sense while talking about magic?

"Genius," breathed Luka in amazement."What vessels will we use?"

From her robes, Haku drew out a pair of earrings. The silver one was shaped like a bass clef whereas the bronze one was shaped like a treble clef. "I saw these when while at the bazaar. Before I realised anything, I bought them."

"Perfect. They are related to sound after all, no?" grinned Neru. "I'll fetch the tykes."

Neru returned with the kids, one in each arm. She set them down on the desk carefully before stepping back. Haku sighed.

"I really wish it didn't have to be this way though." She flexed her fingers and her hands hovered above the twins. Murmuring incantations under her breath, Haku's hands grasped a tendril from each twin's head. Clenching her fists around them, she pulled hard until the wisps were completely detached from the twins' heads.

She shivered lightly and thrust the wisps into the earrings. The wisp from Len's head clung to the bass clef, twirling around it before condensing into an emerald and embedding itself within it.

Likewise, Rin's tendril twined around the treble clef before it coiled itself into a sapphire. The sapphire copied the emerald, embedding itself in its choice of vessel.

"Well, that's settled. We'll cast a final sealing spell on a box."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Rin and Len sat awkwardly on a log outside the building. Len reached up to stroke the silver earring he had just received. It replaced his right ear stud and though it seemed a tad feminine, he found that he really did like it.

To be honest, when he first put it on, he felt like he had been sucker punched in the gut.His mind trailed off to what had happened the moment they had worn their earrings.

_A sharp pain jabbed at his stomach and his hands clutched his sides as he keeled over. Memories from long ago shot through his brain, much like a bolt of lightning. The pain had been enough to push him to his knees and he had to clutch at his head and stomach, resisting the urge to roll on the floor and groan in pain._

_In contrast, Rin had stood rigidly still, eyes closed in concentration. She gave no indication of having memories from eleven years back surging through her. It did not seem fair that while he was feeling so much pain, her face displayed only the slightest flicker of annoyance. _

_As his pain subsided, he glanced at her again and she heaved a sigh, one tinged with serenity, as those green eyes opened._

"_It feels good to have them back. I always knew something was missing up there." _

_To be fair, it was hard to resist the insult that flew out of his mouth. "Maybe it was your brain," he mumbled. Sheer terror clouded his eyes as he caught sight of flames in Rin's heated gaze. Literal flames. He could even smell the smoke. He sniffed again before realising the spot on the floor next to him was burning. Yelping, he scooted backwards on his bottom, shooting the laughing teachers a panicked gaze._

_The white-haired woman he knew as Haku beckoned to the flame which simply hopped off the floor into her hand. There, it convulsed before turning into a single sphere if red energy which was absorbed into her hand. _

"_Rin. Control." In that instant, the fire in her eyes disappeared, replaced by mischief and warning at the same time. _

Len held back a chuckle. So he was not the only special one. Apparently his sister had some talents of her own. After that incident, the adults had ushered them out, insisting they have a little privacy to catch up.

The twins sat back to back, neither quite ready to look each other in the eye. Being the gentleman he was raised to be, Len tried to break the awkward silence.

"So… Uhm… Nice weather we're having huh?" Rin blinked twice before her mind registered the absurdity of his statement and burst out laughing. Really? Talking about the weather?

Len was beyond mortified. The first thing he said to his sister was an insult. Now, the second thing he said to his long-lost sister was about the weather? However, he did appreciate how his lameness had managed to diffuse the tension between them somewhat.

"I like oranges," Rin announced suddenly. Len bit back a smile. Randomness it was then.

"Bananas taste better."

"Oranges."

"Bananas."

"Oranges!"

"Bananas!"

"Oranges a thousand times!"

"Really now sis? Our first siblings' quarrel and it's about fruits?" teased Len. Rin flushed and silence settled over them again. Only this time, the silence was comfortable. They stayed that way for a while, both marvelling at the surrealism of it all.

"You know Len," began Rin. He turned his head curiously to meet her. "I'm kinda glad I have family again."

Len smiled. "Likewise. I thought I lost everyone. I grew up believing I was an only child who was orphaned in the Glacidea attack."

"I grew up thinking that too you know. Ms Haku was always like a mother to me but… She wasn't real family, you know what I mean?"

Len nodded and they rested against each other's backs again. "Why'd they choose to spring it on us now though? I mean I get that there's a whole prophecy and what not but can we really be expected to fulfil it just after graduation?"

Rin sighed as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Ms Haku always told me that these things have a way of playing out on their own and though she doesn't say it, I know she thinks that the situation is worsening."

King Al and Queen Ann had been wrecks after their daughter's disappearance. They could barely run the country and each year got worse for the people. Still, the loyal people of Glacidea had never once considered staging a coup. They held firmly to the belief that their rulers would return one day.

Many had lost their own children in the attack and sympathised with the royal couple. It was surely not easy to try to run a country smoothly when they were smothered by grief.

But time was running short. Eleven years was a long wait. By then, enemies would have already built up sizeable armies. It was only a matter of time before neighbouring countries decided to take advantage of Glacidea's weakness and launch an attack.

"Len, do you remember that fire? The one Luka rescued us from?"

"Yeah. I never forgot it although in my memories, I had always been alone." Rin nodded sadly in agreement.

"But do you remember the emotions we felt during that trauma?" Tears formed in both sets of emerald eyes.

"The feeling of being lost and alone, with no hope whatsoever."

"The fear of being abandoned, watching as loved ones died."

"We can't ever let that happen to anyone else."

"Not if we can help it."

The twins whirled around to face each other, identical looks of determination shining in their eyes.

"Let's do this!"

**Eep! I'm sorry but chapter 4 was harder than I thought to write :/ Most of it was just helping Rin and Len to get to know each other again but it felt so awkward. It was more of an explanation chapter as to why Len and Rin don't seem to recognise each other in chapter 3. **

**Still, I do hope you found it worth reading! R & R!**


	5. Beginning Of The End

**Sorry for the delay but tada! I present to you… CHAPTER 5! My thanks to RadiantCherryBlossom, Mugi-pyon and CitizenOfHedwigpolis for their support in reviews, follows are favourites! And also to the unnamed Guest, thanks for the review!**

_**Beginning Of The End**_

"Ms Megurine, how are we supposed to interpret the prophecy?" asked Rin as she studied the parchment closely. "I have no doubt about the twin mirrors being us but… What's all the rest about the princess and slave and all?"

"The slumbering princess is definitely referring to Princess Miku of Glacidea. I'm certain of it," murmured Luka as her long nails traced the line. She disappeared during in the midst of the crisis. As for the slave… I can't think of who it could be."

"And the tower? Where is it? The most precarious peak of the country? The world?" grimaced Len. He really did not enjoy the thought of having to hike up a dangerous mountain.

"It doesn't matter. Both are within the region. The only one that fits the description here is Mount Daemonium in Obscubrae." Pulling out a map, Luka circled the area in red ink.

"Oh that's just fantastic. Even the name sounds dangerous," grumbled Len. Rin suppressed the urge to hit her twin. Instead of doing something useful, he was just grumbling and complaining.

"That's all I can help you with you know," sighed Luka wearily. "The prophecy is rather ambiguous, as most prophecies are. So you'll have to play it by ear and see how it all goes along." From her pocketless cloak, Luka somehow pulled out a calendar.

"The winter solstice is in thirty days. You don't have much time to waste. I'll mark up a trail you should follow and-"

"Why the winter solstice? What's so special about it?" questioned Len.

"Honestly, how clueless are you?" scolded Rin. "The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. Dark magic is always strongest then. If anything is happening this year, it'll be on that day." Her brother's eye twitched.

"Know it all," he huffed.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

_30 days left…_

"So, first we have to get supplies and what not for our quest. We should be able to get most of it from the Town Square," muttered Len as he scanned the list.

"Sounds alright. We should take a day to prepare. Ms Megurine said we have a few days extra if nothing goes wrong."

"_If _nothing goes wrong. Why do I have a feeling she jinxed us by saying that?"

"Stop being such a pessimist."

"I'm being realistic. You're the optimist."

"Oh shut up. We need to get going. Clothes first. We can't travel in our training outfits." Len groaned. What was up with women and their preoccupation with clothes?

"Ah! Rin! Over here! You're going on a quest right?" yelled Teto, the cheerful redhead of Kasane Threads. "I've the perfect outfit for you!" Without waiting for words, Teto rushed over with her measuring tape. Her hands were a blur as she took Rin's measurements and rattled them off to her assistant. The twins stood there dumbly as they watched the flurry of hands work on a massive roll of red fabric.

"Done!" grinned Teto as she puffed out her chest. In her arms laid one of the most beautiful garments Rin had ever seen. The red, off-shoulder dress reached her mid thigh but underneath it was a pair of comfortable shorts that allowed for ease of movement. Translucent sleeves kept her arms warm and shimmered in the light. As a final touch, the neckline was lined with bronze and embedded right in the middle was a glowing sapphire.

Seeing Rin's confusion over the gem, Teto explained. "Haku told me about your… affinity with sapphires. It'll strengthen your magic and promote healing, just in case you're wounded. Sapphires also contribute to mental clarity and perception as well." Then, lowering her voice so that Len couldn't hear, she whispered, "Something your brother seems to lack."

Rin bit back a laugh at Teto's accurate analysis of her twin. "Teto, it's beautiful. How much will it cost?"

"For the heroes of our world? Nothing! I mean I want to do my part in saving the world but I'm just a dressmaker." She shrugged her shoulders and led Rin over to select more sapphire accessories.

"Having a sister sure is troublesome huh?" Teto's brother, Ted, nudged Len in the ribs. "Oh come on, I can't believe Teto neglected your gear! Follow me!" Grudgingly, Len followed Ted into a tent where he watched Ted rummage through a variety of clothes. Throwing random things into his arms, Ted shoved Len into the changing tent.

When Len emerged in a black tank top, white pants and a chest guard, he was sceptical.

Who could blame him when half his chest was still exposed?

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Rin waited patiently for her brother to come out. He was not budging no matter how hard Ted pushed.

"I refuse to step out in this skimpy outfit!" he hollered. On hearing that, Rin cocked her eyebrow and glanced at Teto. The seamstress shrugged.

"I trust Ted's judgement."

The argument between the two boys went on until things silenced.

"Step aside," ordered Teto, and in good time too. Len flew out of the tent and landed in an unsightly mess on the ground. Ted walked out, dusting his hands.

"I warned you."

The warrior got to his feet and brushed the dust off, sending Ted a cold glare. Rin eyed his apparel.

"Uhm, Ted, not to question your genius or anything but isn't Len going to get hurt easily with that amount of skin exposed?"

"Ah! Another doubter! Let me demonstrate the genius of my invention!" No one anticipated when Ted did next. He unsheathed his dagger and flung it right at Len's midriff.

"Ted! What are you doing?" screamed Rin as Len stood motionless. The dagger drew nearer and nearer to him and Len brought his sword up to deflect the sword. Just before the dagger and sword could meet, Len's chest guard glowed a brilliant blue and the dagger changed directions immediately, hurtling towards the ground.

"Wh-What? It just got deflected? How?" stuttered Rin. Len looked down at the ground to see that Ted's dagger had impaled a poor rat. He was sure it had been coming at him.

"Introducing my latest invention, deflecto-metal! See the core over here? It's powered by plutonium but I managed to create a core that converts the radioactive energy so that a powerful electromagnetic force will deflect any, and I mean _any _metallic object as long as Len here gets a surge of adrenaline like he did when I threw the dagger and-" Ted never noticed that Teto was preoccupied fixing the bronze and sapphire barrette in Rin's hair while Len took a nap under a nearby tree.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

_29 days left…_

Their departure from Neutradame, the neutral territory in which the House of Mages and Warrior Guild were located, was quiet. Only three people stood at the edges of the territory to send them off.

"Farewell Rin… Len… We will meet again when you have saved the world. I have faith in you," smiled Luka as she embraced the pair.

Haku moved forward shyly. "Rin, you're one of the best students I've seen in all my years here. After you return, I would be delighted if you would teach at the House of Mages. Until then… A parting gift…" From the pouch she was holding, Haku removed a bronze and sapphire ring and slipped it onto Rin's finger. "This ring will help you when you're most in need of it. I know it." Tears fell quickly and freely from her face as Haku held on tightly to the girl whom she regarded as he own daughter. "Goodbye."

Then, to everyone's amazement, Haku whipped off her white cloak and wrapped it around Rin.

"I-Mount Daemonium is cold this time of year, freezing in fact." Neru chuckled from where she stood and took a few steps forward.

"You're making me look bad Haku." In her hands, she held a warm black scarf. Grinning, she handed it over to Len. "I'll see you both at the end of year festival, yeah?" She shot them both a thumbs up and crushed them in a bear hug.

"And just in case, take these." She tossed Len several rolls of bandages and Rin a bottle of antiseptic. Nodding to Rin, she said, "Your brother's gonna get himself banged up at some point in time. Watch out for him." With a last noogie on Len's head, she patted them both on their backs and spun around to hide her own tears.

"Guess this is it everyone…" whispered Rin.

"Thank you for all you're help and guidance," said Len as the pair bowed in appreciation. They shouldered their packs and with one last glance at their teachers and foster parents, they set off on their quest.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"Ugh, how much longer till our first break Len?" whined Rin as she trudged on behind him.

"Break? You're tired already? We've only walked for an hour! And I'm the one carrying all the stuff!" countered Len as he continued walking ahead of her.

"You're a warrior, you would have that stamina!"

"If you're that tired you wouldn't be complaining," Len shot back.

It was several hours before they crossed the border between Neutradame and into Glacidea. The transition was far too obvious for comfort. The air seemed to drop several degrees and a dismal air of depression settled over the whole country.

In Neutradame, flora and fauna flourished with life while everything in Glacidea, whether plants, animals or people, drooped with the aura of a prisoner sentenced to death. The twins shivered as they wandered over to a run-down inn.

A woman with blonde hair so light it seemed white greeted them.

"Welcome to Sunnyside Inn. My name is Miriam." As though deliberately trying to contradict its name, the inn's lights flickered dimly, giving it an overall impression of a shady hangout for gangs.

"Room for two please," mumbled Len as he slipped a few gold coins across the counter. Miriam gave them a long sidelong look before stooping below the counter. She produced a rusty key with the number two painted on it.

"Upstairs, left corridor, first door on the right." Her interrogating gaze followed up the stairs, never blinking until they disappeared into their rooms.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Rin sat on the edge of her bed, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Geez, given the death stare she gave us, you'd think we had murdered someone," muttered Len under his breath.

"Oh, she's probably wondering what kind of playboy you are and what a slut I must be. Think about it, fourteen year olds, one boy one girl, sharing a room?" prompted Rin.

Len's eye twitched as he worked out what she was saying. "One would think there was no resemblance between us or something. We did ask for two beds you know. And we look too alike to be random kids hooking up."

"Like she cares," huffed Rin as she polished her sceptre. "By tomorrow we should be able to reach the border of Salioga. Apparently it's famous for its salt mines. After all, they are right by the Athesys Sea."

"What is with you and memorising trivial things like that? Anyway, Salioga to Obscubrae is about two and a half week's journey. We'll should be able make it in time though."

They slid into their respective beds for the night and bid each other good night, each listening to the breathing of the other. Rolling over to face Len, Rin whispered.

"Aren't you scared Len?"

"Of course I am," he replied staring at the plaster ceiling. The inn was really quite dingy. Paint peeled of the walls and a crack in the window allowed the freezing wind to blow in. "But it's for a better world. If we can do it, we should. It's not a choice but a responsibility."

It was on that sombre note that the twins drifted off to sleep at last.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

_28 days left…_

It was twilight when Rin and Len decided to stop by the coast of the Athesys Sea. The water reflected the last of the Sun's rays as the twins settled themselves on a rock for their break. A gentle sea breeze ruffled their hair as the Sun sunk into the horizon.

"At least Neutradame and Glacidea do share one thing in common… A beautiful sunset."

"How poetic," scoffed Len. "It's getting dark Rin. Time to find an inn." Helping his sister down from their perch, they stood in wait as the Sun finally disappeared into the darkness.

"Well, well, well. What have we got ourselves here Bruno?" came a nasal voice from behind them.

"I reckon boss would be happy to have two new slaves for sale Clara," replied a man with a much lower voice. Just as the twins whirled around to face the strangers, they were whacked hard on the head with Clara's staff and Bruno's sword's hilt. Unconscious, they fell onto the sandy beach.

Scooping the pair up and throwing one over each shoulder, Bruno grinned impishly at Clara.

"Boss will give us a promotion after this for sure."

Clara nodded with a sly smile.

"Come Bruno, let's get them onboard."

**Voila! Chapter 5 is finished :D Took me a while to come up with the geography of the region so please forgive me. Of the different territories in the region, only six are really relevant. **

**The furthest North is Piscati, a nation renowned for fishing. Their fishing boats are the best of the time and are equipped with special cannons that can easily wipe out rival ships.**

**Just South of Piscati is Neutradame, the neutral territory where the House of Mages and Warrior Guild can be found.**

**Glacidea, where Queen Ann and King Al rule, is South of Neutradame.**

**South of Glacidea is Salioga, known for its salt mines due to their large coast along the Athesys Sea. Since they cannot compete much with Piscati, the people there developed the salt trade instead.**

**East of Salioga is Irrigotia, a country that cultivates rice. The irrigation systems there are top-class and the source of all their rivers is the Purity Lake, a lake that supposedly can never be tainted by pollutants.**

**The above five countries border the Athesys Sea and South of Salioga and Southwest of Irrigotia is Obscubrae, the darkest and most feared territory in the region. Few people dare to venture into this eerie area because few survive it. Some lucky few are able to live there but the darkness of the place has corrupted their hearts and souls.**

**Hope that will be useful! :D Until next time~**


	6. Cutting Loose

**OMG, I am so so terribly sorry for making you guys wait so long! I've been horribly busy since it's Christmas season and all and I feel really bad for not updating in so long! Please forgive me! X( I'm sorry this chapter isn't very long but it's the most I can do for now.**

**Warning: This chapter is a lot darker than previous ones. **

**Many thanks to: Fufua, MonochromAddict, NatsukoYamashita, Tappy, RadiantCherryBlossom and Mugi-pyon!**

_**Cutting Loose**_

_27 days left…_

"Ugh, that hurts like hell," complained Len as he came around. Unfortunately, having his hands tied behind his back meant that he was unable to rub the bump on his head, much to his displeasure.

"You're awake!" A soft, childlike voice piped up from Len's side. In the darkness, Len could make out the figure of a child with messy blond hair.

"Wh-where am I? And who're you?" he mumbled almost incoherently. Thankfully, the child seemed to have understood.

"You're on board the Frozen Martini."

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Frozen Martini. It's a ship. Last I checked, the captain plans to sell us as slaves. Well, the two of us at least." Jerking his head towards where Rin laid slumped unconscious against a wall, the boy continued. "You're sister over there on the other hand, will be lucky to get off as a slave. You have no idea what they're planning for such a pretty lass."

Instantly, Len snapped into focus. He had almost forgotten that he had a sister now. The sight of Rin, tied up and unconscious had him struggling madly against his bindings, even more so when he pictured what the captain could have in store for her.

"Rin! Rin!" he yelled as he tried to wiggle over to her. He was instantly shushed by the only other conscious person in the room.

"Quiet! I don't want another beating!" hissed the blonde boy. It was only then that Len noticed that the one amber eye staring at him had a twin hidden beneath a bloody bandage. A soft gasp escaped him.

"I resisted too much," the child offered as an explanation. Silence fell over the two as realisation set in for Len. Minutes passed before the silence started to get to Len.

"I'm Len," he offered as an ice-breaker. The child smiled and inclined his head.

"Oliver."

"Isn't that a boy's name?" question Len, eyebrow raised. In return, Oliver raised his own eyebrow.

"I _am _a boy," he shot back in that soft voice again. The boys glared at each other for a grand total of five seconds before they burst into muted chuckles.

"Could've fooled me."

"I know, I know, it's the voice and hair," laughed Oliver as he wiped his right eye on his shirt sleeve. "I'd shake hands with you if I wasn't so tied up right now," he continued, gesturing to his bound hands.

Once more, the two laughed again, making sure to keep it soft enough to avoid detection by the crew. Ten minutes after knowing this boy and Len already felt like they had been friends for years.

A groan had both boys turning their heads to the sight of Rin stirring. Groggily, her eyes fluttered open.

"Rin!" whispered Len as he wriggled over to her. With some difficulty, Len and Oliver managed to help Rin prop herself against the wall upright. Before anyone could fill her in though, the door swung open.

A man with a mess of brown curls stepped through the door, eyeing the three critically. The purple suit looked odd enough on him but the thing bothering Rin was not the hideous suit, nor the extremely effeminate bow, nor the winged ears, rather it was the disturbingly realistic looking horn on his head. Rin squinted at him, sure she was seeing things but there was no doubt that horn was not a figment of her imagination.

"Are you a unicorn?" she blurted out. The man's eyebrow twitched before he barked at her.

"I am not a damn unicorn!"

"But you have a horn!"

"I am _not _going into that story again but it's not my frigging choice to have there!"

"So you were born with it."

"No! I was most certainly not born with it! It was a bloody freak accident!"

"What? While you were making out with a rhino?"

The two boys shifted uncomfortably with growing unease as the man Oliver knew to be the captain stalked forth menacingly.

"Stop sassing him Rin!" hissed Len.

"Yes… If you value that pretty face of yours, you'll stop sassing me," hissed the captain. Rin scrunched up her nose at his breath which reeked of alcohol. Jerking her chin up, he glared straight into those pretty green eyes and the lascivious glint in them made her heart stop.

"You'll fetch a high price alright," he chortled as a lazy grin spread across his face. Blanching visibly, Rin leaned back as far as she could as the captain let his eyes roam all over her. "Personally, you're not my type. But I'm sure there are some… _customers_… who have a fetish for girls as young as yourself. Me? I prefer my woman mature… Experienced."

He stalked over to another heap on the floor and gave it a sharp kick with his heeled boots. A groan came from it and the three prisoners started. Even Oliver had not known about this other person's existence.

"Get up woman!" he barked. The woman's arms trembled as she struggled to push herself upright. Her black hair was cut in a bob at the back whereas it was kept long in front. In the dim lighting, purplish spots peppered her skin, proof of countless beatings. The pale green dress on her body was tattered and ripped in various places.

Grabbing her arm roughly, he hauled her to his side and grinned. "Take a gander at my baby Prima here. She's experienced. She knows how to please me." He gave her a sloppy kiss, one she dared not refuse. "Don't you Prima?" he yelled. Meekly, she nodded her head and followed him out, head bowed the whole time.

Just before the door slammed shut, she sent the three one desperate glance, pitiful eyes imploring their help.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"I've got a plan!" Two identical pairs of green eyes stared at Oliver whose own eyes glinted in the darkness.

He squirmed over so that he was directly between the two twins and whispered his plan into their ears. While Rin's eyes lit up with excitement, Len's bewildered ones gave him away. Had his hands been free, Len would have shaken Oliver madly and questioned his sanity.

"Oh stop it Len. I know what you're thinking. We're getting out of here!" chided Rin as she shot him a look.

"It's too small a chance it'll work!" hissed Len in return.

"It's our only chance!" she hissed back.

"It's a pretty genius plan if I do say so myself," sang Oliver.

Seeing the dogged determination of both of them, Len was forced to give in.

"Now I know what they mean when they say the line between genius and madness is a thin one," he grumbled.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

After yet another rough handling by the captain, Prima awoke on the soft bed alone. Shivering as she recalled what he did to her, she gently rubbed the new bruises that were beginning to blossom on her skin.

She was long past crying even though each time made her feel even more miserable than before. Crying only made the captain want his way with her more. It was something about how pathetic and vulnerable it made her look.

Oh how many times had she contemplated, even attempted, escape, only to be discovered and beaten and _disciplined_. A chill went down her spine as Clara's footsteps echoed down the hallway. The captain never liked to share, so he made sure Bruno stayed far away from her, but he had no complaints about how roughly she was treated, so Clara made sure that her return to the "prisoners' quarters" was as painful as possible.

Each time, she would let Clara drag her away and toss her back in. Resistance was pointless since Clara, being the good little first mate she was, would report back to the captain who would see fit that Prima was properly punished. This time however, she felt a surge of hope when she saw the two new kids. It was hard to see through her swollen eye, from where he punched her, but Prima felt certain the two were destined for something big.

_They were her ticket out. _

And so she began to take a quick inventory of the captain's quarters, desperate to find something useful. She knew that he hid a safe behind a portrait of himself, of which the combination he had carelessly mumbled out loud when he assumed she was asleep or unconscious. Straining her ears for the clicking of Clara's boots, she was relieved to find that they were not in fact heading towards her, but away.

"More time to snoop!" she cheered quietly to herself.

Her hand brushed against a large, blue chest, hidden under the captain's desk. She was disappointed to find it locked but she found that she could pry it open just the teensiest bit. The metallic glints confirmed her suspicions that that was where he kept his blades.

As she rose up from under the desk, a fluttering of pages caught her eye. She peered closely at the yellowing pages of what seemed to be a journal.

"Tonio's. Keep out," was carved into the book's cover with a dagger. In spite of the situation, she had to laugh at the childishness of her abuser. Just as her eyes caught sight of a beautiful staff and her magnificent sword, Clara's footsteps became louder and louder. Diving onto the bed, Prima feigned sleep, hoping her snooping would go unnoticed.

When Clara hauled her to her feet and began shoving her towards her usual sleeping quarters, making sure to prod the bruises on her back, Prima let her long bangs fall over her face, hiding her self-satisfied smirk. Not even the sharp pain of Clara's heeled boot kicking her down the steps was enough to destroy her sense of achievement.

As she landed, face first and the door slammed shut, she lifted her face towards the children and offered one of the most sincere smiles she had ever had in her life, despite the missing teeth and the bruised jaw.

"We're getting out of here."

**And we have Prima and Tonio's Taiwanese designs here! I couldn't really find any good designs to use so I went with the Taiwanese ones since I rather enjoyed poking fun at Tonio. I felt quite bad for Prima. She wasn't actually meant to be such a pitiful character but it just struck me while I was writing that I had to include her in. I'll try to update again within the next week! Or two… Or… I really don't know! **


	7. Turncoats And Traitors

**I'm back~ With Chapter 7! I was thinking about renaming the story. Twin Mirrors Of Fate is a cheesy name that I really can't stand to be honest. Anyone has any ideas? Of course it still has to do with 'twins' or 'mirrors'. I'm kinda worried that I'm losing track of this story. It's a little hard to keep the plot going.**

**Another pretty dark chapter. I wonder if I should bump the rating up to M just to be safe. What do you guys think? Of course nothing explicit is ever going to be written but between the innuendoes and the dark stuff, I wonder…**

_**Turncoats And Traitors**_

Incredulity filled the three youths' eyes. Sure they had factored Prima into their near-impossible-to-pull-off plan but the amount of certainty and conviction she spoke with almost sounded like she trusted them to pull it off.

"You have a plan don't you?" she whispered to them. Wordlessly, Oliver nodded before explaining his plan, albeit reluctantly.

"We were going to wait until the ship docked at Piscati, which is supposed to be our first stop. Then make a mad scramble off the boat, wear a few crappy disguises then board another ship, to Salioga where I'm from and for them, Irrigotia to continue their quest."

"Without your weapons and any money?" questioned Prima with one fine eyebrow raised. Oliver and Rin ducked their heads sheepishly while Len gave Rin the "I-told-you-so" glare that siblings always perfected. The woman sighed before leaning in conspiringly.

" I'm assuming that new staff and sword I saw in the captain's room belong to you. We'll need to embellish that little plan of yours. Yours is a desperate escape plan but what say you we tweak it?"

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Clara wandered down the halls sulking. She had just delivered Prima to Tonio's quarters again. The last thing she wanted to do was linger outside to hear her screams as he ravaged her again.

It sickened her to no end that after months of working with Tonio, and finally being promoted to first mate, the attention she so deserved from him was stolen away by this hussy he found on the borders of Irrigotia.

It seemed a bit farfetched to expect him to love her but she hoped she could have changed that. Given a few months, maybe she could change that, provided that hussy was no longer around. Otherwise he would not spare her a second glance.

"What does she have that I don't?" she grumbled as she stormed into the room she shared with Bruno.

"What does who have?" questioned Bruno from the bottom bunk. His eyes lifted up to give her a quizzical gaze.

Crossing her arms, Clara gave a little huff before plopping herself down onto Bruno's bed. "That woman who Tonio uses. She's nothing but a plaything to keep him occupied."

Bruno winced at her easy use of the captain's first name. Only Clara had that privilege, being first mate and all. He supposed he did have that privilege as well, being equal in seniority with Clara, despite being second mate, but he preferred not to think of the captain as an actual person.

He would have been the first to observe that Clara was smitten with the captain. Growing up beside her, as her best friend, meant that he knew everything about her, her expressions, her emotions, he could read her like a book.

They had been training with their swords in an abandoned field. While they had the same amount of training, one could easily tell the difference between his skilful, agile strokes and her strong, reckless ones. Their latest spar had ended in both blades clashing against each other before sliding to their opponent's throats.

With the sharp tips lying threateningly at their necks, both smiled that same cocky smile.

"Stalemate again." The pair eyed the strange man out of the corner of their eyes. He stroked his strange beard as his eyes rested on them. Instantly, the swords were redirected towards him. "Lower your weapons," he said softly, but the authority in his voice ordered them to obey. Slowly and reluctantly, the swords were lowered.

The man, dressed in one of the most bizarre outfits he had ever seen stepped forward, a benevolent smile gracing his face.

"I have a job offer for you to consider. The pay is good and I could use fine swordsmen like yourselves. All you have to do is join my crew aboard the Frozen Martini." His hand gestured to a magnificent ship far behind him.

Bruno growled and stepped forward, an arm stretched out to hold Clara back. "That's a pirate ship isn't it? You're notorious for robbing the nobles at sea."

"Yes. Which is why I will pay so highly. I need good fighters to take on any… resistance. I can see that money isn't easy to come by for you," he murmured as he took in their worn out clothes.

At this point, Clara pushed past Bruno's outstretched arm. She eyed the stranger critically, unsure whether he could be trusted. Sure it would break the law to join him but they did not have a steady source of income. She could sing at the taverns while he played the guitar or did odd jobs, but it was hard to live on just that.

He bowed and brought Clara's hand to his lips. As he pulled away, he whispered oh so softly that Bruno was not sure he heard it right.

"Such a beautiful lady like yourself surely deserves to wear fine clothes and eat only the best food."

Bruno may not have heard exactly what Tonio had said, but the blush, almost unnoticeable under Clara's dark skin, confirmed his thoughts. Clara nodded and walked over to Tonio's side.

Tonio smirked and turned his gaze to Bruno. "And what about you, young man?"

Bruno was caught. He could not just join a pirate crew and rob and steal from people. Yet he could not abandon Clara with this man who he deemed untrustworthy. From Tonio's side, Clara pleaded with him, using nothing but her eyes.

He bit back a groan as he walked forward to accept Tonio's handshake.

"Just so you know," whispered Tonio into Bruno's ear, so softly that it was inaudible to Clara, "Wanting out is impossible without silencing either you or her."

As Bruno tensed, he could feel Tonio's satisfaction rolling off him. He understood the implications clearly. Even if he did somehow manage to escape, Clara would pay for it.

As he snapped out of his reverie, he realised that his best friend had not finished her rant about the captain's pleasure slave.

"I mean come on, even my bust size is bigger than hers! I mean seriously, in all aspects, I'm definitely the hotter choice. Unless he's a damn racist, I don't see how he should prefer her over me!" Bruno, having heard this rant at least a million times, merely chucked a pillow at her and flipped himself so that he lay belly down on his bed.

"Go to sleep Clara. He's not worth your time." Of course, his voice masked the bitter frustration he felt at her obsession. His hand clenched his pillow tightly as he forced himself to sleep."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Tonio lay lazily atop his bed, satisfied with Prima's "performance" for the night. Usually, when he finished, she would huddle herself into a corner but this time, she surprised him.

Timidly, she crawled towards him atop the bed and laid her head on his bare chest.

"Master, may I speak?" His eyes widened a millimetre. In the two months she had been aboard, not once had she spoken to him. Curiosity got the better of him as he wondered what on earth she could have to say. Unless of course… She had finally been tamed enough to be a pet. As though that had not piqued his curiosity enough, he just realised she had addressed him as "master".

Oh he could definitely get used to that. He nodded at her. Teasingly, she rubbed slow circles on his chest with her fingers. "Master, Prima was wondering if she could recommend a way to _please_ Master more. Prima only wants Master's happiness and satisfaction," she purred.

If all his "training" had finally sunken into that brain of hers, he was grateful. He preferred this Prima more. Despite the teasing, he rather liked how she was trying to take charge. He nodded once more, urging her to go on.

"Prima wondered if Master would prefer to have _two _girls pleasing him at the same time," she continued, batting her eyelashes. Tonio raised on eyebrow. "Prima thinks that the newcomer could help Prima pleasure Master more."

Her fingers trailed down to his naval, circling it slowly as he squeezed his eyes shut, half in contemplation, half in arousal.

"Y-yes," he breathed out shakily. "Bring her with you next time." It was too bad he had to return to his duties but at least his next "session" would ultimately be more enjoyable with this new Prima and that blonde with the loud mouth. Oh he knew how he was going to shut her up alright.

"For being such a good girl tonight, I'll escort you back personally. No need for Clara's roughhousing." As he dressed himself, he eyed the tattered dress she wore. "Perhaps we'll get you a new dress when we arrive in Piscati."

Prima smiled angelically as she walked by Tonio's side back to her quarters. "Maybe you can move to one of the rooms," mused the captain as he pried open the door.

With the loveliest smile she could manage, Prima bowed.

"Thank you Master."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

"Psst, how did it go?" whispered Oliver as Prima descended the steps.

She repressed a shudder. "Perfect. Although I honestly never want to do that again. Do you have any idea how disgusting it is to seduce him?"

Len covered Rin's ears. "No! We don't want to hear anything about that! Young ears here!" Prima laughed softly.

"Of course not. But I'm afraid he'll probably want me back when he's done with whatever he's supposed to do. Is Phase Two complete?"

Oliver and Len shook their heads slowly. "Bruno won't be here until morning to feed us those bricks they call breakfast." Prima let out an unladylike curse.

"He's expecting me to bring Rin the next time," she hissed. "And judging by just now, he'll be back in the early dawn."

"Are you kidding me? What happened to "you're not my type"?" Rin almost screamed. "No way am I going in there when the plan isn't in place!"

"Rin's right. There's no way I'm letting her go there when we're not even sure the plan is in place!"

Prima sighed. "Rin, can you approximate our distance from Piscati? It's where we're stopping. Apparently it's the nearest country as well. I need to know how long I can stall till we're almost there."

Shutting her eyes, Rin let her thoughts drift to the Attheyst Sea, the way the Frozen Martini rode through the waves, the constant up and down motion. Slowly, she tried to project her consciousness out a little, like in astral projection. It was a success. She could feel her essence leave her body and she was soon hovering above it. Of course, without Rin actually in her body, her body collapsed limply, much to Len's distress. For the moment, she had more important things to worry about than how overprotective Len was.

A essence was basically an orangey-yellow translucent image of herself and she found herself able to fly through the top of the ship. It was exhilarating to be free of her physical body, to feel as though she had no limits. Laughing, she flew through the clouds, feeling thoroughly amazed when they passed right through her.

When she finally returned to her task, she had never felt so light in her life. She could literally let the wind carry her away if she so wished. Squinting into the distance, she could see a huge land mass, yet she could not ascertain that it was Piscati. Instead, she found that she had a brighter idea.

Rin zipped through the ship to the bridge, where Tonio stood, steering the vessel. Eyeing the map on his table, she quickly memorised the coordinates and location. She even went so far as to put a translucent hand on the map to gauge the distance. When she was about to head back to her body, a sneaky idea popped into her head.

She floated right next to Tonio's ear and grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"Boo!"

Needless to say, Tonio just barely managed to avoid crashing the ship into a huge rock in the sea.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

When Rin finally returned to her body, she was dead tired. Of course, her three companions had been as worried as hell. The whole time she was readjusting to having a body back, Len was shaking her body back and forth.

"Stop shaking me Len or my dinner will make a reappearance on that pretty boy face of yours!" she hissed when she had come around.

Instantly, Len let go of her, causing her to fall backwards abruptly. Had Oliver's hands not reached out to catch her, Rin would have hit the mouldy floorboards. Growling in irritation, Rin bopped Len on his head for handling her so roughly.

"What happened to you Rin? And what did you learn?" quizzed Prima as Oliver struggled to keep Rin from beating Len into a pulp. "Are we anywhere close to Piscati yet?"

The question had Rin pausing mid-punch. "I- I think I did something like astral projection. I mean I could see myself as this translucent ghost-like thingy and I could go anywhere I wanted to. I just felt myself leave my body, you know what I mean? And it was so fun! I could fly all over the place and spook people and-" A crease formed between Prima's eyes.

"Rin. I don't think you should do this anymore."

"What? Why? The experience was amazing! I felt so light and free and I got to fly! Why shouldn't I do it anymore?" demanded the blonde.

In reply, Prima handed Rin a small shard of a broken mirror. Peering into it, Rin could see why Prima was being so adamant.

The Rin staring back at her was deathly pale with dark shadows around her eyes. Her blonde hair looked dull and her eyes looked sunken in. She dared to say she looked like a corpse, with those emerald eyes being the only sign she was alive.

"It exhausts you. You may not feel it yet but the side effects will take at least a few hours to recover from. You can't afford that on your quest can you?" came Prima's hushed voice. Right on cue, Rin felt tiredness seeping through every vein in her body. Every last bit of energy was being drained away and she stumbled.

Steadying her, Prima settled her back onto the floor. "You should rest now. One more thing, when will we reach Piscati?"

Fighting the exhaustion, Rin forced one eye open and stifled a yawn. "Maybe by noon. Geography was one of my worst lessons back in the House Of Mages." With that, her head bobbed for the final time and she drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

"Bruno will probably bring us breakfast three hours before we arrive. We'll initiate Phase Two then. It should be just in time for the plan to succeed," whispered Oliver.

"Then an hour before we arrive is good enough for Phase Three. I'll just try to stall Tonio until then."

"And then it's kick ass time!" cheered Len softly as he high-fived Oliver and Prima. Poking his biceps a little, he mused, "Hmmm, better start working out a little. We'll need to be in tip-top shape for the final phase."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

_26 days left…_

The door swung open and light flooded their tiny room. Prima's eyes fluttered open and found Tonio standing right at the top of the stairs.

"Come along Prima. You got me all worked up this evening and you'll have to finish what you started. Bring along the other one as well." Tonio licked his lips hungrily. Confused, Prima wondered why he was being so… polite. It took her ten seconds to remember the show she had put on earlier.

"Ah- Coming Master." She hurried up the steps into Tonio's waiting arms, nuzzling his neck.

"Where's the new kid? Go wake her," he ordered.

Purring and continuing to nuzzle him, Prima responded. "I'm still trying to train her Master, so that we can satisfy Master better." Tentatively, she lapped at his neck. Tonio's arm tightened around her waist as he moaned.

"Al-Alright. If you're so sure then. Come along my pet." As they made their way to his cabin, Prima cast one more backward glance towards Rin, Len and Oliver's sleeping figures.

"We'll be free soon," she thought fervently to herself.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Balancing the three plates of hard biscuit in his hands, Bruno kicked open the door of the prisoners' quarters.

"Mornin' chumps! Breakfast is served," he called, rousing them from their sleep. A quick look around told him that his boss must have enjoyed the company of Prima last night.

As the three kids made their way over to the rock-hard breakfast, Bruno felt a surge of pity for them. The boys were bound to suffer as slaves unless they were bought by kind masters, or if someone paid for their freedom. The girl on the other hand, would have been lucky to be a slave. Really, they were still too young to have to face the darkness of the world.

Perhaps his expression must have softened, for the older of the boys gave him an imploring look, shifting his glance over to where his sister huddled, nibbling on the biscuit. Bruno knew what he meant.

"_Help her,_" begged the blonde boy with his eyes. Those green eyes were filled with a desperate plea and at the same time, overwhelming love for his sister. Not wanting to cave in, Bruno turned on his heel. No matter how much he wanted to help the captain's prisoners, no stranger was worth the risk of Clara's safety.

Just before he shut the door, a voice called out.

"Wait!"

He should have just continued on his way, out the door and ignored the boy, but curiosity had sunk its claws into him, begging him to turn.

The boy with the bandaged eye stretched out his arm feebly, as though beckoning him to return. Against his better judgement, Bruno plodded down the steps and stooped to eye level with the boy.

"You love her don't you?" asked the child softly, his unwounded eye brimming with gentleness. Bruno's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you talking about? I love no one but myself kid," he replied curtly.

"Clara," responded the boy easily, watching Bruno carefully for any change in his expression. Gritting his teeth, Bruno made for the door again, his hand on the rusty doorknob. "We can get you both out you know. You won't have to work for the captain anymore. You can start over."

The hand on the doorknob tightened as Bruno considered his options. What would they do once they were free? Is it worth the risk? Would Clara agree?

"She won't agree but don't you think it's better to have a life away from crime?" questioned the girl, as though hearing his question. Hesitating, Bruno turned back to the three kids. Honestly, how could three kids help Clara and him escape from the captain?

He wanted so badly to believe in them and surprisingly, he found that he could. Settling himself down, cross-legged before the three.

"Tell me more."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

The ship was a mere hour away from the Wavefront Harbour in Piscati and Tonio was steering it carefully, not allowing anything to distract him. That is, until he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around him.

"Yes my pet? We're an hour away. I have to dock the ship carefully so it'll have to wait till later." Prima said nothing but trailed her fingers up and down his chest, threatening to open the first button on his ridiculous outfit. When Tonio did not respond to her advances, she unbuttoned the first button, teasingly brushing his skin.

Suppressing a growl, Tonio forced himself to focus on the ship's course. Prima smirked deviously to herself as she nibbled on his ear, sending a shudder through the captain.

"But master," she purred. "We're ready to please you. Prima's trained Rinnie well enough already." Her hand travelled down his stomach, tracing light circles around his navel.

"So-someone needs to steer the ah-" He gasped as Prima's hand homed in on his groin, giving a tiny squeeze.

"There are other people Master, who are capable of steering. Why won't you let Prima bring Master back to his room?"

So Tonio caved. Summoning the nearest lackey, he ordered him to take charge of the ship while he staggered after Prima in his lust-filled haze. On the way to his cabin, Prima opened the door of the prisoners' quarters and beckoned to Rin. Realisation dawned on the petite blonde who tip-toed up the steps, smiling brightly at Tonio.

A lascivious grin stretched across his face as his hands reached for Rin. Lightly slapping his hands away, Prima winked at him.

"Patience Master," she berated teasingly. Understanding flooded his face. This was a game they were going to play and he was more than willing to go along with the experience.

Once the trio reached his room, he locked the door behind them, licking his lips in what he believed to be a seductive manner. Before anything else could happen, something large and heavy hit the back of his head.

With a thud, Tonio fell over unconscious, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

Rin high-fived Prima after Tonio went down. "Phase Three on its way!" she cheered. Immediately after that, Rin brought out the rope she had kept hidden behind her back the whole time. It was the same rope that had initially been used to tie her up. The pair set to work tying up the unconscious captain.

Brushing off her hands, Rin surveyed the room. Her eyes lit up when she spotted her staff and Len's sword. Running over, she grabbed them and turned around to show Prima, who was trying out the different keys on the blue chest she had dragged out from under a desk.

When the lock finally clicked, Prima gave a delighted squeal and pulled out several daggers. "They're here!" Curious, Rin peered over. Prima was holding two gleaming daggers close to her. When she felt Rin's eyes on her, she held them out for her to inspect.

The handles were a lovely shade of dark pink with gold accenting the colour. The pearls embedded in the handles gave off a soft glow compared to the shine of the gold. The blades, cold and cruel, glinted mischievously. But it wasn't the extravagance of the daggers that made Rin gasp. It was the insignia that had been engraved in gold.

"Th-That's the La Cruze family insignia. The royal family of Irrigotia!" exclaimed Rin, eyes widening. "I-In History, we learnt… You're the missing queen? _The _Queen Prima? The legend with the daggers?"

Prima's eyes were downcast as her hands wringed the tatters of her dress. "Yes. I suppose my husband must be worried sick. Perhaps he even believes me dead."

"I heard he's got search parties still out looking for you, Your Majesty."

The corners of Prima's mouth lifted into a smile. "That man… He once promised me he'd comb every last wheat field for me. I was a fool for leaving." At this, Rin raised her eyebrow. What they had been taught was that the Queen had been kidnapped and her bodyguards assassinated. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Prima explained.

"I needed some time alone. My husband and I had fought and I needed to cool off. I snuck into the servants' quarters and borrowed one of the maid's outfits and a cloak to hide my face. Then while resting at the shore, someone knocked me out from behind and here I am."

"And the captain never demanded a random?" asked Rin, feeling even more pity for Prima. "Surely the King would have paid the ransom?"

"I lied to Tonio about the daggers. I said I stole them. If he knew I was a queen…" She shuddered. "Let's not talk about this anymore. We best hurry."

The pair was silent as they swept the room for anything useful. While Prima opened the safe to pull out the bags of gold coins, Rin checked the drawers of the desk. The only thing she found useful there was a gold compass and waterproof maps of the different countries.

Just then, they heard footsteps coming towards them. "Captain? Is something wrong? Captain!" Prima and Rin exchanged identical looks of panic. When the voice on the other side heard no response, the person took it as her cue to knock violently on the door.

The knocking got progressively more violent as Rin and Prima gathered everything they needed. Finally, when the rusty hinges gave way, the door swung open.

Clara stood on the other side of the door, mouth wide open as she took in the mess of the room and the unconscious captain in the corner.

"Code red!" she hollered as Prima and Rin took off for their pathetic excuse of a living space. Torn between giving chase and helping Tonio, Clara settled for untying the captain. The others could easily handle those two minxes.

She always knew the black-haired hussy was trouble.

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

By the time Rin and Prima met up with Len and Oliver, all the available deckhands were beginning to close in on them, each holding a fierce blade. Len was finding himself backed into a corner while unconsciously keeping Oliver behind him. From over the enemies' heads, Rin tried to toss Len his sword, only to find it way too heavy.

"Len! How the heck do you carry this?" she grunted as she struggled to hoist it up. Not wasting any time, Prima grabbed the sword easily and swung it over the crowd's heads. All ducked and Len caught the handle of it in mid-air.

"Thanks Prima!" he called. Shooting Rin a sarcastic look, he yelled, "You too sis! Load of help you were!" He narrowly missed the ball of energy she hurled at him. Thankfully, it hit one of the deckhands, who slumped to the ground.

The nineteen or so remaining ones suddenly realised that this was not as easy as they had believed. Smartening up, they decided to take each of their captives on, five-on-one, how hard could it have been?

So they split into four groups, each taking one target. One had been kind enough to move his fallen comrade's body into a room so that they would not stomp on him in the chaos.

The two surrounding Oliver found themselves almost laughing at the prospect of taking on such a puny child. Heck, the child had only one eye. What threat could he pose, especially weaponless? Maybe one was enough to deal with him.

Well, that was the case until Prima unsheathed a tiny bronze dagger and slid it across the floor, through the deckhands' legs, right into the boy's waiting hand. Dagger in hand, he smirked and the deckhands had to stifle a laugh. A puny twelve-year-old with a dagger? Yeah right.

The burlier one swung a punch at the boy's face, expecting the lovely crack of bones when the fist connected. Instead, his fist landed on the wall behind him and he winced in pain. The kid had swooped down and swung out a leg at the string-bean-thin one's legs. That one fell over in surprise and using the momentum, Oliver swiped the dagger at the bigger fellow's knees, sending him down to the ground as well.

Meanwhile, Rin was taking on a group of seven. Apparently, the deckhands had not missed that little blast of energy she had sent at Len, and some wanted revenge for their knocked-out friend. Remembering the anger she felt at these guys for letting Tonio do whatever he wanted to Prima, she charged up that anger into firepower, just like she had learned years back.

White hot balls of energy shot out of her hands at various deckhands, although they were quick to dodge them. Using her staff, she deflected swords, occasionally shooting out a fireball out. A quick glance to her right told her that Len was managing well on his own. Perhaps it was the wariness of the deckhands to attack someone who wielded that huge sword with ease.

The sounds of metal clashing against metal rang loud and clear as Len parried the blows coming from all sides. Effortlessly, he twisted out of the way, sending his sword in a smooth arc that forced the foes back. While he felt that Rin was handling the thugs alright on her own, something in his gut tugged him towards her.

He found himself clearing a path towards her and before long, they were back to back. With a swing of her staff, Rin managed to blast the man behind him who had been aiming for his head. He fell over unconscious and Len shot Rin what he hoped was a grateful look.

It was a strange feeling fighting alongside his sibling. It felt almost as though he was charged up, like electricity was running over his skin. In fact, he felt invincible. Thrusting his sword outward into one of the thugs, he was surprised to find sparks passing through the sword into the man's body. Twitching madly, the deckhand soon collapsed.

Rin's wink was all he needed to see to understand. She had somehow managed to charge him with electricity and he conducted it through his sword into the man's body. Perhaps there was something to this twin thing after all.

Rin brought her staff down hard on one of the thugs' head, sending him crashing to the floor unconscious. Killing was not something they wanted on their records yet. At least it was easier for her. She was in awe of how Len could still knock people out without fatally harming them with that gigantic sword he wielded.

Summoning an icy wind, she manoeuvred it such that the icy wisps coiled around the nearest thugs' ankles, effectively freezing them to the floor. Out of the nine surrounding them that were still conscious, only six were free to move. Without any difficulty, Len clobbered each of the frozen three on the head, knocking them out, while Rin charged up an electrical storm with her staff.

When the ball of electricity flew towards the thug in the middle, it suddenly expanded to engulf the other five, sending them into a heaping mass of twitching bodies. Len turned in surprise to see Rin, gaping at her staff.

Apparently he was not the only one astounded at Rin's magical capabilities. With their group done, the siblings wanted to help out with Prima, but she was doing just as well on her own. Two of the five that had charged her lay on the floor, with the occasional blood splatter staining the floor.

Prima was a fierce fighter. It almost seemed like she was dancing with her elegant and graceful strikes. With a dagger in each hand, she easily countered the blades of the two of the thugs fighting her. Somersaulting over them, she slashed the back of one's knees and he collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. She then back-flipped, using his chest as leverage, and kicked the other squarely in the jaw, sending him to the floor as well. Finally, she spun around to the one who had been sneaking up on her and socked him in the jaw before jamming her dagger's handle onto his head.

The twins were in awe when Prima brushed her hands off and cleaned the blood of her daggers.

"Guess she wasn't a renowned dagger-user for nothing," said Rin while Len nodded mutely in agreement.

The sounds of fighting continued and they noticed Bruno duelling with Clara just outside the captain's cabin.

"What are you doing Bruno? How dare you free them? Tonio will flip when he wakes up!" yelled Clara as her sword met his with a loud clang.

Pushing back her sword, he grunted, "No, you wake up Clara! I am sick of this life where we're nothing more than criminals!"

Clara was resisting the advance of his blade. Bit by bit, she managed to force his back a little. "After all he did for us, you can still turn against him like this? You're a traitor Bruno!" she hissed. "A dirty, lying turncoat." With that, she forced him against the wall and to the ground, blade pointed directly at his neck.

Oliver made to rush over but Bruno held up a hand, signalling him to stop. "This is personal kiddo," he said. With an amazing display of dexterity, Bruno escaped from Clara's grasp, spinning behind her and catching her in a headlock.

"Listen well Clara. I know you love him but he will never love you back! He's a selfish jerk who abuses women and will never treat you right! Look at Prima! Look at those bruises all over her! You want that? You want that?" he shouted.

Jerking her chin towards Prima, he forced her to get a good look. Clara reluctantly took in the healing bruises and the scratch marks. Even the cut lip and missing teeth did not go unnoticed. She hated herself for being so weak but the tears started falling.

"I-I just want someone-" she hiccupped, "to love me. Is that so wrong?" Her shoulders shook as the tears continued falling, splattering against the floor noisily as the ship was silent.

Sighing, Bruno turned her around so that she was nestled in his embrace and crying on his shoulder instead. "You daft woman. All along you never once considered me?" he asked as he gently patted her back. Incredulously, Clara shot up.

"Considered you? You mean-" She never got to finish because Bruno met her lips with his, answering the question in her head. The twins, Oliver and Prima looked away, trying to give them some form of privacy.

When they separated, Bruno used his thumb to carefully wipe the last of her tears away. "We could start over. We could go back to our village, visit our Mamas and Papas. Then we could start our own sword fighting academy, what do you say?" he murmured tenderly.

With a tight squeeze around his waist, Clara rested her head on his shoulder.

"I would love to."

***Twin Mirrors Of Fate***

When the ship came to a halt at the dock, Bruno and Clara were the first to descend. While Bruno had a deckhand hoisted on his shoulder, Clara dragged hers down, dumping him unceremoniously on the ground.

Shortly after, Rin and Oliver, each holding one end of an unconscious thug, shuffled down the board. Len and Prima followed, each strong enough to handle one deckhand on their own.

It went on for a while until all twenty deckhands that had assaulted them were groaning on the ground, not quite lucid but coming around. Finally, hauling him by this collar, Prima dragged a struggling Tonio down. He was once again, bound in ropes, all the while cussing her out.

"I think my vocabulary just got more colourful, what say you sis?" queried Len with a mischievous smirk, to which Rin just giggled. An officer was peppering Bruno and Clara with questions, to which Bruno answered with ease.

"You see Officer, we were being held hostage. The captain had ordered us to obey his orders or he'd kill us." He shrugged once before continuing, even as the officer hastily scribbled down his every word. "It was those three kids over there, who's ingenuity helped us escape, and of course that lovely black-haired lady who helped with the plan and oof-"

Clara had bopped him once on the head. "Who're you calling lovely, mister? I'm your girl and you better remember that!" Smiling sheepishly, Bruno rubbed the sore spot on his head.

"Of course, baby. You know I only have eyes for you." At that Clara chuckled while the officer gave them an annoyed and impatient look.

"You know, I hate to break up such a lovey-dovey couple, but I need answers." Laughing again, Bruno and Clara went back to assisting the poor officer with his investigation of the pirates.

**Yay! That concludes Chapter 7! Wow! This is the longest chapter since... Since this story was written! I wanted to split it up but that wouldn't be fair to you guys right? **

**Don't forget! Suggestions for new titles! **

**On a side note and completely unrelated to fanfiction, guess what! I did so much better than expected for my major exams! Really happy now! :D**


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